Resilient bottom for upholstered furniture



July 18, 1933. J KRQNHE|M 1,918,761 I RESILIENT BOTTOM FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed April 6, 1931 9 INVENTOR J4 caa Mam/15m A TTORNE Y.

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Patented July 18, 1933.

TES

PATENT OFFICE JACOB KRONHEIM, F CLEVELAND, OHIO 'RESILIENT BOTTOM non UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Application filed April 6,

My invention relates to an improvement in resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture, such as chairs, couches, etc., and has for its general object to provide a flexible bottom and a simple means of suspending the same within a wooden frame slightly beneath the top plane thereof. Another object of my invention is a yielding suspending means shaped to possess inherent tension when fastened to the rail of the frame and to counteract downward movement of the flexible bottom when under load, all as hereinafter shown and described and more concisely pointed out in the claims.

As exemplified in the drawing, Fig. 1 is a top view of a chair frame embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 an enlarged sectional view of a portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective View of a rail with a suspending means fastened thereto and another suspending means partly fastened to show the shape thereof before and after attachment to the frame.

Referring to the drawing a wooden frame A of angular formation, customarily braced at its corners by blocks 2 supports within its upper part a flat flexible base member or bottom B made of woven fabric and provided at its border portion with a re-enforcing border wire C. A series of short helical springs E are hooked at intervals to the four sides of base B and interlocked with the border wire C and the outer ends of these helical springs are hooked to short longitudinally curved brackets D of spring metal nailed or screwed to the top surfaces of the rails 3 forming frame A. Brackets D are made of narrow strips of spring metal approximate.

ly thS of an inch wide rounded at their opposite ends and perforated to form at least three equal spaced narrow openings 4:, 5, and 6. Eac bracket is so seated upon the top surface of rail 3 that one end thereof extends at a right angle to and beyond the inner edge of said rail 3 and that the two openings or holes 4 and 5 are located opposite the top surfaces 7 of rail 3 to which the bracket is attached by means of nails or screws 8. As the bracket is curved and made of spring metal, fastening of the bracket to 1931. Serial No. 528,022.

rail 3 straightens its portions opposite the top surface of the rail and such straightening increases the inherent tension of the freely exposed curved end portion 9 of the bracket in which opening 6 is arranged. The shape of bracket D before and after fastening to a rail is shown in Fig. 3.

The purpose of shaping the bracket in the mannerdescribed is to place the base or bottom B and the helical springs E in a lower plane than the top or upper surface of the rails 3 and furthermore to create by fastening of the bracket to the rail an inherent tension in the free end of the bracket and decrease its elasticity so that material of less thickness and weight may be used without increase of the elasticity of the structure. As the brackets themselves possess a certain amount of elasticity the size and length ofthe helical springs may be slightly decreased. Finally, the shape and form of the bracket is of great importance in decreasing the downward movement of the fabric bottom when under load. Thus, as shown the elastic bracket is bent downwardly on a curved line and when stretched by tension supplied by setting the fabric under load, tends to straighten out and thereby raise the free portion thereof with the supporting opening 6 for spring C, an action tending to raise the fabric bottom upwardly. The result achieved is a proportional decrease of the downward movement of the fabric bottom under load.

The brackets substantially simplify and speed up upholstering operations and at the same time decrease reduction cost and material and may readily be usedfor chairs, couches, or other upholstered goods with yielding fabric bottom or similar devices. The amount of curvature of the brackets may individually be determined accordingto the nature of upholstered goods for which the brackets are to be used, and the length and width of the brackets themselves may also be chosen according to the purpose for which the brackets are to be used.

What I claim, is: V

1. In resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture an open frame, a'series of narrow and V curved brackets made of thin resilient metal and secured to the top of said frame and extending inwardly a substantial distance in respect thereof, coiled springs attached to the free end of said brackets and a flexible bottom member connected to and stretched between said springs, each of said brackets being in their longitudinal axes at distanced points attached to said frame to create an inherent tension in said brackets while straightening the brackets Where secured to said frame and the free end of each bracket being perforated to facilitate attachment of a spring.

2. In resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture comprising an open frame, a flexible bottom member and means for supporting said member between the sides of the frame, a bracket for attachment to the frame as a part of the supporting means, comprising a narrow strip of resilient material curved longitudinally and a series of perforations within and axially aligned with respect to said strip, the length of said strip being chosen to permit its attachment to the open frame with one end of said strip extending a substantial distance inwardly with respect to said frame and said perforations being spaced to permit straightening of the attached portion of said strip under tension.

3. In resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture an open frame, a series of perforated and curved resilient brackets each of which being'attached in their longitudinal axis at spaced points under tension to said frame and extending a substantial distance inwardly and downwardly with respect to said frame, coiled springs attached to the free end of said brackets and a flexible bottom member connected to and stretched between said springs.

4. In resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture an open frame including a series of rails having flat top surfaces, a series of brackets of curved resilient material secured to the flat top surfaces of said rails on their longitudinal axis in such a way that said brackets are flattened out and placed under an initial tension, and so that one free end of each bracket protrudes within the interior of the frame a substantial distance, coiled springs attached to the free curved ends of said brackets and a flexible bottom member connected to and stretched between said springs.

5. In resilient bottoms for upholstered furniture an open frame including a series of rails having fiat top surfaces, a series of curved and resilient brackets having one por tion axially secured to the flat top surfaces of said rails and placed under tension by partly straightening said portion when attaching same to said flat top surfaces, and the other portion extended inwardly and downwardly into said frame a substantial distance, coiled springs attached to the free curved ends of said brackets and a flexible bottom member connected to and stretched between said springs.

JACOB KRONHEIM. 

